Archives for Hyperactivity

RussellReno via Compfight
I’ve been thinking since my last post about the issue of ADHD and ADHD look-alikes. I’ve written about them before, but found myself taken by surprise at recent events in my life.
For example, ADHD and depression often go together. While I’ve never been diagnosed with clinical depression, I know plenty who have been, including those who are doubly endowed with both.

When I was diagnosed with ADHD late in life, a series of tumultuous emotions washed over me, from relief to regret, from anger to embarrassment, from shame to sorrow. It was several years before I realized how undiagnosed ADHD might have affected my beleaguered adoptive mom.

I’ve been asked by readers to follow up on the ever-evolving Coronation Street plot featuring 7 (or 8, depending on the source) year-old Max as a potential candidate for the dreaded ADHD diagnosis.
So here’s the promised update (as of the Canadian programming schedule; further episodes have aired elsewhere and, spoiler alert, it looks like Max goes on medication and it helps).

Sugar and spice and tv’s not nice… apparently…

So far we’ve got television and ice cream as two alleged culprits cited as the source of Max’s behavior. The usual suspects. But what do the experts say?

My friend is hooked on Coronation Street; has been for years.
How could I help watching when she and her partner were glued in front of the telly on weekends when I was visiting? I couldn’t be rude, now could I?

The inevitable plot line

So, there we were one evening, me on the loveseat, her in her comfy chair, immersed in Episode 8439 (the show’s been running since 1960).
I’m noticing the over-the-top behavior of eight-year-old Max, son of Kylie and adopted son of husband David.
I know where this is going, I say aloud.
Sure enough, two episodes later, adoptive dad David has set up an appointment with the family doc, against mom Kylie’s wishes. Kylie doesn’t want the kid to have a label. (I’ve already labeled him. Too late, Kylie.)

I keep reading that Robin Williams' death is a shock.
Were you shocked? Was I? Yes and no. But mostly, no.
Sadly, some of us dealing with mental health issues, personally and in our professional lives, or have loved ones who are, are not as shocked as others seem to be.
Within the context of Williams' history, his sudden death is a shock yes, but sadly not as much a shock as if his mental health and addiction challenges had been absent. With the presence of severe depression, addictions, bipolar disorder, or any combination of the above, suicide is not out of the blue, but one of many responses to the pummeling experience of living with these conditions.
So often we see that behind the public persona of some of our funniest, most clever, compassionate, kind, and empathetic artists, lies a dark side. I’ve always used humor to overcome, but sometimes to cover my pain. I’m not the first one, and certainly not the only one, to retreat behind a quick succession of jokes and comedic banter when I’m feeling emotionally challenged.

Dawn Huczek via Compfight
I sat on the back step in the morning sunlight. The birds sang “Spring is coming.” At minus seventeen degrees celsius, with snow banks on my deck taller than me, it was hard to believe.
I popped in the earbuds. Adele played, but not so loud that I didn’t catch the regular tap-tap-tapping that started up to my right.
A woodpecker, I thought.
I glanced at my neighbor’s deck. His teardrop-shaped feeder appeared to be unoccupied. I waited. Then, sure enough, a downy woodpecker emerged from the south side, settling in profile on the west side and continuing her tapping.

Conner Downey via Compfight
In Yoga and ADHD Treatment - Part I, I talked about some similarities between the discipline of yoga and ADHD treatment. Today, I'll cover some specific yoga components that might be helpful in managing ADHD symptoms.
Be prepared for some surprises!

A few of my favorite yoga things

Besides wearing comfy, funky Lululemon clothes (with the notable exception of the see-through pants, that's just not a good look for me), I gained a lot of positive benefits from my experience as a member of a Kripalu Yoga Centre oh-so-many years ago.

Jaybird via Compfight
Last year, I stepped up my commitment to yoga practice. For inspiration, I picked up a book called The Yoga of the Yogi, written by Kausthub Desikachar.
Desikachar’s book fuelled my hypothesis that yoga has the potential to be tremendously helpful to those of us with the Gift.
The popularized notion of yoga leads us to believe that it’s merely a form of exercise where we turn ourselves into human pretzels and balloon animals. As fun as that sounds, yoga is much more than that, and its primary focus is the mind, not the body.
yoga is to direct the mind on a chosen focus and maintain that focus without distraction
- from the Yoga Sutra by historic yoga master Patanjali, as quoted in The Yoga of the Yogi

In keeping with my goal of digging deeper into the issues that surround ADHD, today's post offers some penetrating insights into a now-ubiquitous cultural phenomenon.
I'm sure you've heard the jokes, worn the t-shirts, and seen the photos with the caption connecting ADHD and the sudden verbal outburst of "Hey look! A squirrel!" This punchline is commonly used as shorthand to illustrate the high level of distractibility in those of us with ADHD.
But let's see if we can crack that old chestnut.

I'm happy to report that our Mother's Day with ADHD: How to Keep It Happy! webinar went off (almost) without a hitch.
On a personal note, I was terrified before we started. I'd planned to create a visual presentation but only had 3 hours to create it - right before the webinar!
With minimal time, I decided I'd keep it simple, and let the content be the focus of our session. I knew my special guest had great content, having read her excellent blog, Queen of the Distracted, and having had a preliminary phone call to plan what we'd cover in our webinar.
But - what I didn't count on was for three friends to drop in - all at the same time - and all needing my attention just before the webinar!